The news comes three months after a court sentenced Compaoré to a life sentence for his role in the assassination of his charismatic predecessor, Thomas Sankara in 1987.

The pair had been close friends and jointly seized power in 1983.

Sankara remains a hero for many across Africa because of his anti-imperialist stance and austere lifestyle.

After seizing power at the age of just 33, the Marxist revolutionary, known by some as "Africa's Che Guevara", campaigned against corruption and oversaw huge increases in education and health spending.

Compaoré has been living in exile in Ivory Coast since he was ousted in 2014.

There has been no official confirmation from the military junta which rules Burkina Faso about the former leader's return.